IN THIS, our second feature marking the 90th anniversary of the signing of the Armistice, we have unearthed copies of the actual letters sent from the Western Front from our brave servicemen. They were mainly written on the battlefield.
It is hard to imagine how they kept their morale up in such atrocious conditions. One soldier writes an amusing letter about a fictitious football match to the incumbent of his church. The following letters, all from Middleton men, are true.
The end of the Great War came at 5am on 11 November 1918 when the terms for an Armistice were discussed in a railway carriage parked within a forest clearing in Picardy. The document was signed and the ceasefire came into effect six hours later. Canadian Private George Price lost his life by a snipers bullet only two minutes prior to the ceasefire.
Word has reached relatives to the effect that Private (Pvt) E Mullasky, whose mother lives at Kay Street, has been wounded in the right shoulder. His brother Private T Mullaskey was discharged as disabled a month ago for having been wounded in the left shoulder and chest whilst serving in the British Expeditionary Force. In both cases the wounds were caused by shrapnel.
Pvt Fred Dyson of the Jolly Butcher Inn, Little Park, was in hospital in Stockport suffering from a bullet wound in his leg which was received two weeks earlier. Pvt Dyson who was 25 years old, joined the Guards prior to the outbreak of war, and had been on active service for nearly two years. He had many narrow escapes. In his letter he said that on one occasion a bullet had struck his pocket book on the left side of his tunic, going across his chest and hitting another man standing at his side.
Pvt F Horrocks of the Royal Army Medical Corps whose address was 6 Taylor St, wrote to this newspaper: "Certain fellows have been writing to the papers about the RAMC. Possibly they have never seen a trench themselves. The RAMC are working in the trenches more during this war than they ever have done. Only a few weeks ago three of our bearers went over the top in the front line and faced the enemy's fire to fetch a wounded man out of a shell hole, where he had been for 90 minutes. In doing so the man got shot again. I have been in the trenches up to my knees in mud and water, carrying patients. Most field ambulances go to the same places as the infantry."
Pioneer T Mottrom whose home was at Stakehill wrote to Rev G F Ramsbottom, vicar of Thornham: "You may think that we have no football matches out here in France, but we have the finest team in the world, and if you don’t mind I will describe it to you. George Ground is our goalkeeper, and he stops some fine shots. Then come our backs-Sam Sandbag, who never gives an inch of ground, and Bob Barbwire, a player with whom you always get entangled. Then we have our half backs, a fine trio, Jack Starlight (a fine illuminating player who enlightens all spectators) and Jack Sniper, a very quiet player who is always potting at the goals, and seldom fails to score. And Pip Squeak, who puts in some useful work.
Then come the forwards. We have Harry Rifle, a very cool player indeed, and Walter Bayonet, a dangerous chap at close quarters. Also Joe Whizzbang who comes with a crash, and Jack Shrapnel who is up and down the field in grand style. Bob Granade does some very clever work. Now if one wishes to see the game, he has only to call at the nearest recruiting office, I can assure him there are a few empty dug outs left, and he will be in time to see the Grand Final between the Krupps and the Munition Works shortly."
Pvt Leonard Tams sent a letter to his father at Middleton Junction saying that he is out of hospital but still on ‘chicken and jellies’. He had to get out of bed and shelter under the bed frame the other day in hospital owing to a Zeppelin raid. It seems from the home office that he has some kind of fever.
Private T Inglesent, machine gun section of the 1st Battalion Lancashire Fusiliers sends his experiences to this newspaper, January 1916. "All I can say is that we are having a rough time of it in the trenches, where we have been for eight weeks, and the last few days have been terrible. Once as we were getting ready for the night it commenced to rain, and in less than three hours our trenches were flooded. Then we had to get our gun to safety, and the only way to do that was to hold it up, we were up to our neck in water. We had not been out long before the Turks started advancing upon us, but they retired to the hills as soon as we got our gun in action. This went on for four days, and we had nothing to eat until we got to hospital. As we went to cross to the open field it was terrible, and I shall never forget it, for the Turks were shelling us all the time. I was glad when I reached the Ambulance wagon, and I was surprised to come across Charles Partington, who is also from Middleton. We are both in hospital suffering with frostbite and rheumatism. I am glad to say that we are both doing well."
If you or somebody you know enjoys reading the fascinating stories of Middleton soldiers during the First World War, you will enjoy this beautifully written book. 'Doing Our Bit' by Martin Purdy and Ian Dawson. It makes a great Christmas gift. To obtain your copy send your name, address and contact number on the back of a postcard to. Doing Our Bit. Rochdale Observer, Drake St, Rochdale, OL16 1PH It’s priced at £10, send no payment with your request, the authors will make contact directly.
